Chapter 1737 A walk in the Park.

When the appalling darkness of the Nightmare Gate split reality apart, sunlight dimmed and turned strangely bleak, making the world look desaturated. A gust of cold wind rushed across the snowy park, as if the sky itself was being sucked into the black fissure. A moment later, an eerie shockwave rolled over the soldiers, making them stagger.

Neph's white cape fluttered in the wind, but none of the four Saints moved.

For a moment, the only being moving in the impact zone was Saint. She walked steadily toward the Gate, her graceful figure emanating the feeling of a cold, indifferent inevitability.

Kai stared at her back for a second, then cleared his throat.

«Your Echo seems really impressive, Lord Shadow. Stylish, too... such a chic and understated armor design... monochromatic in theme, yet rich and expressive instead of being dull. What a beautiful use of form and texture variation to counterbalance the lack of a dynamic palette... splendid, really! Wait... where was I?»

He paused for a moment, and then added with an embarrassed smile:

«Right. What I meant to say was... your Echo can stall the abominations and break their momentum. We will follow behind and engage the Nightmare Creatures when they get past her.»

Sunny glanced at him and tilted his head a little.

«...Get past her?»

Kai hesitated a little, unsure of what to say.

«Yes... there is a high enough possibility that this Gate will reach Category Three, after all. Even if she is a Transcendent Echo... it might be a bit tough.»

Sunny smiled behind the mask.

«Just watch.»

He turned away and stared at Saint. Kai, Nephis, and Morgan had no choice but to follow his example.

In fact, Sunny felt a bit awkward, just standing there and doing nothing while Saint did all the work...

He would have summoned the Shadow Chair and sat down, but sadly, that chair usually stood behind the reception desk of the Brilliant Emporium. Anyone who had visited the dining hall could recognize it at a glance.

«Standing awkwardly it is, I guess.»

Out there in front of them, the first of the Nightmare Creatures appeared from the dark fissure of the Nightmare Gate, It was a hulking beast with a bulging body, terrifying muscles moving smoothly under its tough grey hide. The abomination's hind legs seemed underdeveloped, but its front limbs were grotesquely large, resembling craggy tree trunks.

Two vicious tusks curved upward from its jaw, as long as pikes.

The beast let out a deafening bellow and charged forward, the ground shaking from its heavy footsteps.

Saint did not slow down. She simply lowered her shield, meeting the abomination's charge head-on, midstride.

In the next moment...

The dreadful tusks hit the onyx shield and shattered. Next was the creature's head. Its skull burst like a rotten pumpkin, splattering across the snow in a crimson wave. The massive abomination collided with the shield and was crushed into pulp against its surface, only to be tossed aside by a flick of the wrist a moment later, falling to the ground in a lifeless, bloody heap.

It was as though it had used Saint to commit suicide.

Standing by Sunny's side, Kai blinked.

Nephis, who had seen the taciturn Shadow before, seemed unsurprised. Morgan was too shrewd to show a reaction, but her gaze had turned a little sharper.

Sunny smiled.

In front of the Gate, more Nightmare Creatures were born from the appalling darkness. A tide of them, each seemingly powerful enough to rip an armored vehicle to shreds.

Finally, not knowing what to say, he turned away stiffly.

Sunny chuckled Internally.

«Ah! I missed teasing this guy!»

In front of the Nightmare Gate, Saint had mercilessly obliterated the first wave of the abominations.

The same fate awaited the second wave, and the third. Not a single Nightmare Creature managed to escape her blade.

Observing the scene of chilling carnage, Sunny couldn't help but feel a little wistful.

He remembered vividly the first time he had encountered a Nightmare Gate. How desperate he had fought, and how impossible the task of stemming the tide of abominations had seemed. In the end, he would have failed if not for Jet's timely arrival.

Yet, this time... the Category of the Gate was one Rank above the one he had defended against as Mongrel. However, Sunny did not even have to move a finger. Just one of his Shadows was enough to contain the threat, and he did not even have to bestow the full augmentation of all his shadows upon her.

So much time had passed, and so many things had changed. Some for the better, some for the worst.

Sunny secretly glanced at Nephis and Kai as the Gate Guardian finally emerged from the fissure.

The creature looked like a mountain of grey flesh, its towering body brimming with bulging muscles, sharp tusks, bloodied spikes, and ghastly bone armor, It bellowed furiously, making the entire park quake.

A Corrupted Tyrant, from the looks of it.

Standing on a pile of corpses, Saint glanced at it and finally deigned it necessary to summon the elemental darkness from her heart. A dark aura enveloped her black sword, and a cold chill ran down Sunny's spine.

Her ruby eyes flashed with furious crimson light.

The Tyrant surged forward, and at the same time, the black blade slashed the world apart.

«...Now who's showing off?»

A thin line slowly revealed itself on the towering abomination's powerful body, cleanly dividing it into two vertical halves. Then, it slowly oozed blood.

The Tyrant stumbled, then slowly crumbled to the ground, its body falling apart into two bloody chunks.

The Handy Bracelet spoke into Sunny's ear:

[You have slain a Corrupted Tyrant.]

[Your shadow grows stronger.]

These were the only fragments Sunny had received from this fight.

Looking at the carcasses of the massacred Nightmare Creatures, which piled high in the suddenly silent park, he sighed.

«What a waste.»

Saint stared at the bleeding chunks of the dead tyrant with indifference, then turned and glanced at Sunny.

Receiving his nod, she took a step back and dissolved into shadows.

A few moments later, creepy and crazy silently returned to him and fused with naughty, who had been pretending to be a normal shadow all along, resting leisurely on the ground beneath his feet.

Sunny looked at Morgan and remained silent for a moment.

«My apologies. I'll try to give you an opportunity to witness my prowess some other time.»